Methuselahs, nebuchadnezzars … what’s in a (bottle) name?
We frequently discuss the contents of a wine bottle, but what about the bottle itself? Where do their mysterious names come from?
July Online Auction Report
Magnums, double-magnums, jeroboams and imperials have been the main focus of attention in the last Online Auction that ended on the 8th of July. These generous formats benefit from a price premium compared to 75cl bottles. Bottling larger formats enables wineries to create a scarcity effect on wines that are not otherwise rare, as it is the case for large estates of Medoc. This effect is intensified by the quality of the vintage and the age of the bottle. In this first Online Auction of July, Château Mouton Rothschild perfectly illustrated this situation with…
Photo of golden champagne bottle, two wine glasses on black stone background
How to age champagne
Similar to other wines, certain champagne styles will benefit from time in the bottle. Vintage champagnes in particular are well-suited to ageing, while the brut style is generally intended for immediate consumption. When ageing champagne, the bottle format (such as magnum or jeroboam) plays an important role, as well as the storage conditions (humidity, cellar temperature). While vintage wines available after three, five or even 10 years of cellaring, are usually ready to drink, it is not uncommon to keep some for even longer. Producing champagne takes time. It spends a minimum of…